Hermann Goering

Hermann Goering was born in 1893 and died in 1946. Goering
was one of the most senior politicians in Nazi
Germany and a close confidante of Hitler.
Wary of rivals, Goering did not have a harmonious relationship with the likes of
Himmler, Hess
and Goebbels who he saw as wanting to steal
his power.

Goering he was born in Bavaria. His father was a member of
the colonial service in Africa. Goering found fame in World
War One as a fighter ace. He won numerous awards for bravery and was the
last commander of the legendary Richthofen Fighter Squadron. By the end of the
war, he could claim to have some degree of fame in Germany.

After the war ended, he studied at Munich University
between 1920 and 1921. Disillusioned with Weimar’s
politicians and their supposed weakness, he joined the Nazi Party in October
1922. Goering was wounded in the Beer
Hall Putsch.

He spent time in Sweden - from 1924 to 1928 - before
returning to Germany and being elected to the Reichstag in 1928. In 1932,
Goering was appointed Speaker of the Reichstag. Outside of Hitler, he was
certainly the most well known Nazi in Germany.

When Hitler was appointed chancellor and after the
establishment of the dictatorship in
Germany, Goering acquired many positions. He was appointed Prime Minister and
Interior Minister for Prussia and he was given control of the Luftwaffe -
Germany’s growing air force. Much impetus was given to the Luftwaffe to
developed itself and to use modern fighter and bomber planes. When the war
started, Germany was well equipped in the air to carry out Blitzkrieg
with devastating effect against Poland.

The devastating impact of planes used during the attack on
Poland in September 1939 strengthened his position within the Nazi Party. This
continued when Blitzkrieg was
launched on western Europe. However, his power started to wane after the failure
of the Luftwaffe to destroy Fighter Command during the Battle
of Britain. Goering had also publically stated that no enemy bombs would
land on Berlin "or my name is not Hermann Goering". When this did
happen, it dented his standing in the Nazi Party.

From 1940 on he fought to keep his power from others.
Rather than fight for the same common goal, Goering and his rivals were
constantly thinking of ways to extend their power at the expense of others. To
what extent this damaged Germany’s ability to fight the war is difficult to
assess - but Albert Speer in "Inside the Third Reich" believed
it did not do their cause any good.

Speer also commented in this book that if Goering did not
understand a scientific development, he would not give that development his
support and reported accordingly to Hitler. Speer claimed that the V weapons
could have been ready two years before they were first used in 1944 but for the
lack of support from Goering. He also failed to fully understand radar and its
implications. The radar base at Ventnor in the Isle of Wight was not attacked
during the Battle of Britian
simply because Goering did not order it. That one base gave Fighter Command
vital reports throughout the Battle of Britain.

Goering’s behaviour became increasingly bizarre as the
war progressed. He was addicted to drugs such as morphine. He became
increasingly lazy and fat. His lifestyle became very ostentatious which angered
many Nazis who were at least aware that the average German was suffering
hardships during the Allied bombing
campaign.

In May 1945, Goering surrendered to the Americans. He was
by far the most important Nazi not to commit suicide or be killed. In prison he
lost much weight and was weaned off of his drug addiction. He was put on trial
at Nuremberg on charges of crimes against humanity and waging war. Of the senior
Nazis on trial, he was the only one to put up a forceful defence and on
occasions had the courtroom laughing with his comments. This did not save him
and he was sentenced to be hanged.

Goering was due to be executed on October 15th
1946. Just hours before his execution, he committed suicide by taking cyanide
thereby cheating the hangman.

"I
am what I have always been - the last Renaissance man, if I may be
allowed to say so."

Goering.

"If
the Catholic Christian is convinced that the Pope in infallible in all
religious and ethical matters, so we National Socialists declare with
the same ardent conviction that for us too the Führer is absolutely
infallible in all political and other matters. It is a blessing for
Germany that in Hitler the rare union has taken place between the most
acute logical thinker and truly profound philosopher and the iron man of
action, tenacious to the limit."